Welcome to the Paul Gross FAQ! Paul Gross is the Canadian actor whose portrayal of Constable Benton Fraser in the CTV series Due South has earned him international status. A FAQ is a Frequently Asked Questions document. This document has been underway for several months, but it's not complete, so suggestions and contributions are more than welcome at JRD203@aol.com. Information is utilized from press / media, as well as TV appearances.

Last updated: July 16, 1999.

General Overview

• Who is Paul Gross?
  A Canadian actor/singer/musician. For a comprehensive overview, please check out the Paul Gross Biography page.

• What are Paul's overall 'stats'?
  Paul was born April 30, 1959. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and is reportedly is 6' tall, although at least two reports put him just a tad under that height at 5'11". He weighs approximately 180 pounds.

• Where is Paul from and where does he live now?
  Paul was born in Calgary, Alberta [Canada] but as a child, traveled the globe. His father was a Tank Commander in the Canadian Army (Royal Canadian Dragoons), so consequently Paul and his brother were "Army brats." They lived in Canada, Germany, England (when he was around six years old), Washington DC (early teens), Toronto (as a teen). He said he was raised in 'outposts from Washington to Lahr.' They lived in Brooks (a small town in southern Alberta) for a year, and Paul considers that to be home. He has also lived in or near Gagetown, New Brunswick (one of his favorite places). At one point he lived in Malibu, California, and then he was then offered the role in Due South and he returned to Canada. He currently lives in a 1900's home in Toronto, Ontario.

• Is Paul married?
  Yes. He's been married to actress Martha Burns since October 1988 (see photo at left). He was dating someone else when he met Martha in the play Walsh (National Arts Centre in Ottawa). He was playing a Mountie, she was Sitting Bull's daughter. About five years after they first met, they married. In fact, they tied the knot just before the final scenes of his movie Getting Married in Buffalo Jump were filmed. (This is the first marriage for both.) They have two children, Hannah (born 1990) and Jack (born 1994). Paul's nickname for his son Jack is "Dr. Tongue", which Paul equated to his son's habit of trying sticking his tongue in places it doesn't belong (like electrical sockets). He humorously said of his children, in a British interview, that "They're just normal, wretched little kids."

• Does Paul have any pets?
  He has a Golden Retriever named Chester (born around '96/97). He recently (1999) acquired a new quarter horse (stands 16 and a half hands high) named Mr. Dunne. (BBC Online Interview, 7 June 1999)

• Does Paul have family?
  Yes. Besides being married with children of his own, there are the following:
  • His father, Bob Gross, is a retired Canadian Army Tank commander (Royal Canadian Dragoons). He is now head of Bandland Books or a 'publising mogul,' according to Paul. (Toronto Star, 13 September 1998) Paul said his father was "not military at all." Bob Gross traveled the world in the military, and after being stationed in New Brunswick, he was a military attache in Washington DC for three years. He retired 20 years ago (from 1998) and purchased a 600 acre ranch near Steeville Bridge (Alberta).
  • His mother, Renie, studied art history, and has written two books 'Groundworks' and 'Dinosaur Country: Unearthing the Alberta Badlands.' When the latter book sold out in 1985, she got the rights back, revised it (75% new), and released it again in June 1998. (As a side note, in a 1984 interview, Paul referred to his parents as "aging hippies," perhaps because they once raised goats and sheep, and because his mother once had a business called Badlands Mohair, where she made sweaters from the wool from Alpacas.
  • He has a younger brother Tony, who has three children of his own: Jake, Nicole and Nathen.
  • He has a great uncle, Sykes Robinson, who once competed at the Calgary Stampede.
  • He has a cousin Bob Robison, who used to announce the rodeo at the Stampede.
  • Most of his relatives appear to reside in Alberta.
  • His grandfather, a World War I veteran, died when Paul was eleven years old. Paul considered his grandfather a "very inspiring man." This man fought in battle of Vimy and was wounded three times in battle. At one point he went AWOL from France to Ireland, but in 1917, he returned to the trenches, where a shotgun took one ear off. A story his grandfather told him about those fights was the catalyst for Paul writing his WWI movie, which he hopes one day to bring to the screen.

• What are Paul's current plans?
  He took some time and promoted his "Two Houses" CD, did a new song ("Santa Drives a Pickup") for a charity CD. He stated in various interviews that he has no real career strategy and does what appeals to him at the moment, and that seems to be what he's doing. *** He finished his World War I screenplay (currently shelved, alas, due to budget reasons) and has written a new screenplay which he hopes to produce -- about curling! It will be filmed in New Foundland and rumor has it that it's titled "Men with Brooms." *** Before that, however, he is top-billed in the Canadian teleflick, "The Judas Kiss," based on a true life story about an ex-Mountie who threw his wife off a 17th-floor balcony (to air on CTV in the Fall of '99). *** He will play Hamlet at Stratford (Ontario) in the year 2000, as well as Jack, 14th Earl of Gurney in the play "The Ruling Class" at Stratford during the same season. *** Paul has his own production company now, WhizBang Films. The movie The Judas Kiss will be its first product.

• What is his educational background?
  Because of his father's military career, Paul attended schools around the world. He was a member of the Class of 1966 Cheswycks Prep School (Camberly, Surrey). He attended the Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada). It was there that he discovered he had an aptitude for writing, but not for either math or science. One article cited that he had considered studying medicine, but chose drama instead (which is good, as both math and science are definitely needed for the former study!)

• What has he done professionally?
  For a good overview of Paul's work (acting, writing, and more), please check out the Paul Gross Biography Page, which contains an extensive list of his work.

• What sort of awards has he won, if any?
  For a list of his awards, please check out the Paul Gross Biography Page, which contains a list of his current awards for acting and writing.

• What is Paul doing right now acting-wise?
  In June-July 1999, Paul will shoot the film, "The Judas Kiss," which is due to air on Canadian TV in the Fall of '99. It's based on the real-life story of Patrick Kelly, an ex-mountie whose involvement in undercover activities ultimately led to his tossing his wife off a 17-story balcony. This telemovie is based on the book "The Judas Kiss: The Undercover Life of Patrick Kelly" by Michael Harris.

• What kind of research does Paul do for his roles?
  "To prepare for his role in the play 'Observe the Sons of Ulster,' Paul travelled to Northern Ireland with fellow cast member Brian Campbell, where they tried to pick up convincing Irish accents and tasted the cleansing ales.'" (Calgary Herald, 18 March 1988) When he worked on Buried on Sunday, he went out with the fisherman in the morning and helped pulled in the mackeral net. On Tales of the City, he met and talked with author Armistead Maupin. On XXX's and OOO's, he wandered around the dressing rooms of the Grand Ole Opry.

• How does Paul viewing acting?
  He's been quoted saying different things: Early in his career, he referred to his many careers as "hobbies," and explains away his multiple talents [playwright / actor / musician]. "I have a really short attention span," says Gross. (Calgary Herald, 24 November 1989) and then on said "I'm not sure if acting is a fit occupation for an adult." (Entertainment Weekly, 25 November 1994)

  On the more serious side, he also said "It's important to act because that teaches you what a good writer gives to actors, all the buried clues in a script. This knowledge I can then bring to writing." (Globe & Mail, 30 November 1984)

• Are there any acting roles Paul passed up on?
  Reportedly Alliance wanted Paul to play a role in the Canadian newsroom drama, E.N.G, but Paul didn't want to do it. In fact, communications broke down and he was told by Robert Lantos "You will never work for Alliance again," which Paul found strange, as he hadn't worked for them! (Playback, 21 November 1998 He reportedly passed up a role (1999) in the David E. Kelly ABC-TV series Snoops about hi-tech spies or detectives.

  He said he lost out on the Greg Kinear role in the film As Good as It Gets, as it was thought he was too 'fine featured' for the part. (Globe & Mail, 22 November 1998)

  One trade magazine mentioned that Paul Gross was in the running for the Canadian miniseries/movie Plantinum, but apparently he was either not chosen or decided not to do it.

• Who are the Bonemen?
  The Bonemen were a rock'n'roll band in Toronto (circa 1980's) in which Paul Gross once played. The title was derived from the dinosaur bones which are featured prominently in the Alberta Badlands near Drumheller, where his parents reside. He gave up the band when his children came along, as it was impossible to act, write and perform in a band all at the same time. David Keeley was once in the band as well.

• Did he study music professionally?
  He said that as a child, he always played guitar. As a teenager, he studied classical guitar for 5-6 years and was going to audition for a concert, but instead 'chickened out' and went camping instead. He didn't pick up a guitar for 3 years after this, which was partly due to a broken finger. We don't know when or how he broke his finger.

• What kind of music does he like?
  For one, country-western, as that's the variety of music he has so far released on his country-western CD, Two Houses. He was quoted in the 'Calgary Sun' (1996) as saying country is "the last bastion of melody. That's all I really listen to." He's also said to be a big fan of the Nashville group, the BR5-49.BR5-49

• What does Paul think of country music?
  He had a sarcastic reply to say to one newspaper: "Country is cool; it's only three chords. And if you find something dear to say about your truck, you're in." (Calgary Sun, 17 April 1994).

• How did the CD "Two Houses" come about?
  Paul and his friend, actor/singer David Keeley, decided to do a CD. They toyed with calling it 'Badlands' or 'Tall Men Short Shadows', but went with 'Two Houses.'

• What does Paul like about singing?
  Well, in one article, he said "I actually like it [singing] better than acting. It is more immediate." (Calgary Sun, 4 September 1996)

• What does Paul think about his own singing?
  "I call it singing... I think others might call it croaking." (TV Week, 1995) or "It's a great hobby and fun to do." (Canoe web site, 13 March 1998)

• When was his first record/CD released?
  A 1988 Toronto Star article said that a record featuring Paul Gross's talents would be "materializing soon.' However, it took until 1997, when Paul achieved international fame, for his voice to find its way to a CD. The Due South soundtrack appeared in 1996, featuring "Ride Forever" as one of its tracks. Paul sang this song on the episode "All the Queen's Horses." He released his own country/western CD "Two Houses" in 1997, followed up by a single release of "32 Down on the Robert Mackenzie" in 1998 and "Santa Drives a Pickup" in 1998.

• Does Paul Gross sing on tour?
  Paul Gross has traveled the globe to promote his CD, but the only information we've been able to find out is that he's been to the United Kingdom and to South Africa. He has been to Nashville to do recording, but no promotional tours. He has not gone on any singing tours.

• How did Paul Gross and David Keeley get together singing?
  Paul and David met 15 years ago (1983); in fact, they met when Paul was going out with the woman who is now David's wife.

• How did he get started writing?
  Paul didn't consciously start out as a writer. It just happened. "One summer, I didn't have a job, so I started to write." He cited that "Measure for Measure," by Robin Phillips, 'knocked him out.' He mentions playwrights Shepard, Pinter, Bond, as well as Sharon Pollock, David French, John Murrell, Michel Tremblay, as influences in his writing career. "The more they write, the more evident the craft is; you can see the growth, the ease. I have no craft yet. But I know this much, if you shoot for Sudbury, you're not going to get very far. If you shoot for the moon, you might get somewhere." (The Globe and Mail, 19 October 1982)

• How he starts to write a project.
  Amusingly, Paul was working as a waiter when he wrote award-winning play, The Deer and the Antelope Play, "Nobody ever came in, so I started doodling on a napkin, and it eventually became a play." (Calgary Herald, 18 March 1988)

• Did Paul always want to write for TV?
  No! In fact, read this quote... "In this country [Canada], committed people end up in the theatre because there is no interesting alternative. The crap that's on TV and in Canadian movies, well, I'd rather vomit than write like that." (The Globe and Mail, 19 October 1982) However, in 1999 an interviewer brought up this rather descriptive quote, to which Paul Gross admitted that since he made that quote, Canadian TV had made enormous strides, and that the only true obstacle in Canadian programming is the lack of funding, as well as American competition. (VUE, 4-10 March 1999)

• What is Paul doing right now writing-wise?
  He has finished his World War I screenplay, which is based on the Battle of Passchendaele. A controversial statue from World War I of a Calgary sergeant crucified against a barn door was Paul's inspiration for his screenplay, which will recreate the war in 1917. It's been shelved due to budget considerations. He is working on a screenplay about curling.

• Does he have any unfinished writing projects?
  
  • A CBC television movie based on the true story of IBM executive Douglas Moore, who was acquitted of the murder of his wife. (Calgary Herald, 18 March 1988) No further information is available.
  • He worked on a western in which he was to star called The Old Mexico; no further information is available. (Flare Magazine, November 1989)
  • He said he was collaborating with his mother on a screenplay about Alberta cowboys at the turn of the century. No further information is available. (The Globe and Mail, 19 October 1982) It's possible this is the same screenplay referred to as "an oddball Western with a time-travel element" in the 18 October 1997 TV Guide (US version).
  • He wrote and planned to direct a comedic screenplay, "Crashtown," about a nun and a convict who end up breaking all Ten Commandments. No further information is available. (Entertainment Weekly, 25 November 1994 & Calgary Sun, 17 April 1994)

• What is this about Kit Kat candy bars and Paul?
  When Due South was covered on a Canadian talk show (Dini Petty), Paul Gross held up a Kit Kat bar to the camera, then mentioned that he eats half of one every day. Fans saw this and have since latched onto it.

• How does Paul feel about doing TV series?
  After his very long and ardurous experience on the Canadian miniseries Chasing Rainbows, Paul jokingly said the experience left him with a pathological fear of TV series. However, "That's not to say television can't be brilliant. I've seen stuff that has just blown me away, The Singing Detective, A Very British Coup - now that's when TV can really sail. I thought Barney Miller was a brilliantly written, even though you could predict the outcome of every single story two lines into it." (Flare Magazine, November 1989) However, we all know that he didn't mind doing a regular TV series, as Due South attests.

  In a recent interview ((Vue, 4-10 March 1999)), Paul said if he did another TV series, he would want to do it with a U.S. network, because shows cost a lot of money to create and Canadian budgets are usually too low to do the sort of material he's interested in.

• Does Paul have any idols?
  As mentioned earlier in this FAQ, he's been influenced by a number of playwrights. However, he credits University of Alberta teachers such as Tom Peacocke and Victor Becker, with leaving him with a lasting impression about the nature of acting. (Edmonton Express, 10 June 1996)

• Did he have any other jobs besides acting or writing?
  He waited tables, in a Whyte Avenue (Calgary) diner, and described himself as "the world's worst waiter." (Edmonton Express, 10 June 1996) However, those days of waiting tables did prove handy experience for his role as Brian Hawkins in the miniseries Tales of the City. He also worked as a "gofer" at age 15/16 at the Stratford festival box office, a job he obtained through a student grant.

• Did Paul Gross have to learn to ride horses for Due South?
  No. He learned horseback riding at his parents' ranch in Alberta, and he used that skill in the episodes "Manhunt," "All the Queen's Horses," and "Bounty Hunter." However, he's said that he can't do rodeo.

• What does Paul think of the Hollywood hype machine?
  When he did his first CBS press junket for Due South he did 38 on-camera interviews in one day. "The machine of American public relations is just enormous. I'd never encountered it before. In Canada, you do a show, you do a couple of interviews, it goes to air and you hope people watch it." (TV Week, 4-10 March 1995)

• Some folk in the United Kingdom have said that Paul Gross resembles Jack Dee. Just who is Jack Dee?
  Jack Dee is a British comedian of sorts.

• Is Paul involved in politics?
  Paul Gross isn't active in politics, but has spoken at Toronto's City Council to plead for funding for the arts (April 1998), stating that without goverment support, Due South and shows like it wouldn't exist.

• What does Paul think of fans?
  When he did Romeo & Juliet in 1984 in High Park, he received love letters and 'sighing accolades' from scores of female fans. "I got some very strange letters. Yes, you could call them groupies." (GLobe & Mail, 30 November 1985)

• Has Paul ever been a fan of anyone?
  Paul has several idols when it comes to writing, but he has mentioned being a fan of Hal Linden in the ABC sitcom "Barney Miller." When Paul worked with Hal Linden on "The Ray Bradbury Theatre," he said he called Hal "Barney." The result? Linden "would give me this sort of glare," said Gross. (Canoe TV, 22 November 1998)

• Has Paul Gross ever done any conventions?
  Paul was invited to all three RCW 139 conventions (fan-run Due South conventions); he declined the first one; bowed out of the second one due to the filming of "Mountie on the Bounty," and bowed out of the third one due to a CD promotional tour in Europe. However, he attended the 'Lights, Camera, Auction!' convention in October 1998, a convention devoted to earning monies solely for charities. Whether he will attend future conventions is unknown.

• What kind of books does Paul read?
  In a 1998 Toronto Star, Paul Gross waxed poetic over a recent book: "Why I love reading Charles Frazier: "Cold Mountain" is a rare and luminous gift. Rarely have I encountered a first novel steered by a more confident hand, a more accurate eye or so large a heart. The horrors are teeth-rattling, the beauties are agonizing and if you don't fall in love with Inman and Ada you should go see a doctor about your heart - you may not have one." He has been said to go through a Globe & Mail crossword puzzle in ten minutes.

  Photographs of his home in a 1998 "Canadian House and Garden" magazine divulge electic tastes: "The 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings," "The Best of Herman Melville," a book on Beckett, books by John Irving, and of course the Globe & Mail newspaper, to name just a few.

  He also said in a Globe & Mail newspaper article (1998) that he has seen the the 'slash' (homoerotic) fan fiction. This may have been during the Elm Street interview in which the reviewer brought out some stories to show him.

• Does Paul have any favorite roles he'd like to play?
  Romeo, Brick, Lear and Richard III. He portrayed Romeo in 1985 in Toronto.

• What does Paul Gross like to wear when he's not in red serge?
  Paul seems to favor casual attire such as blue jeans and T-shirts. He has been seen on many occasions, such as TV interviews and public appearances, in a black leather jacket, which appears to be a personal favorite. He wore in the cover of his CD, Two Houses, as well.

• What kind of humor does he like?
  He's been quoted in the press as having enjoyed watching Dr. Who, Fawlty Towers, Beyond the Fringe and Monty Python, all of which he viewed while living in England. "I like those kinds of romps, they really appeal to me - not as a staple diet, but just when things just ... spin off somewhere!" (Dreamwatch, August 1998)

• What does Paul like to do when not working?
  Sleep. He actually said in a few interviews, during his Due South days, that he liked to sleep. That was probably due to the hectic and long schedule a TV show entails. He "loves to cook."

• What is that scar on his face?
  Fans noticed a scar on his right jaw after it was pointed out in the Due South episode "Letting Go." In that episode, it was explained as resulting from a glass cut, and many fans interpreted that it came from the episode "The Deal," in which Fraser runs through a plate glass door. In reality, the scar was there long before Due South was ever filmed, so its precise origin remains a mystery.

• Does he have any favorite foods, habits?
  He likes Big Rock Grasshopper (beer) and Corona beer. He was quoted on one Dini Petty show (1995) as being 'omniverous' and he seems to enjoy all sorts of food. He likes to ride horses, ski, swim, skate and enjoys camping and fishing.

• What three things would he like to have with him if he were stranded on a desert island?
  In an August 1998 interview with the BBC, Paul replied that he'd like to have his guitar, a laptop, and a pair of sunglasses.

• Does he have any bad habits?
  Paul has not shied away from telling the press that he considered himself to be a juvenile deliquent of sorts as a youth (beating up other kids during school break when he was six years old), and sneaking into old army dumps on a NATO base in Germany and stealing old gas masks. Unlike Fraser, he chain-smokes (Marlboros), gambles, swears like a trooper, and was once arrested for drunk driving. The latter incident resulted when he was caught driving in circles in a church parking lot in Stratford, Ontario ("I did spin a doughnut.") Although he never went out on the street, his license was suspended for one year, which he considered to be a good deterrent.

• How does he feel about being called a sex symbol?
  His reaction has been varied, but overall he hasn't cared for the stamped-on label. However, as due SOUTH ended, he joked about it. "Well, I feel I've arrived." (CBC Radio - This Morning, 12 March 1999) *** The June 1999 issue of Chatelaine magazine voted him the 4th most sexy man, stating " No explanation required, except that he's one of the few men on the planet who can get away with jodphurs. Also produces, writes, directs and sings. Megalomania - it's such a turn on."

• How does he feel about Christmas?
  In an early interview about his play The Dead of Winter, Pau said: "I hate Christmas. I wanted to create a situation where each member of the family finally gets to say what they've always wanted to say, to get at the underbelly of this family's life. So the play works like an elastic band, it stretches way out - and I know the danger of losing people along the way - and then pops back. The whole evening is subtext." Of course, this could have been a facetious remark... (Globe & Mail, 19 October 1982)

• His 'most' moments.'
  The following key moments in Paul's life were documented in the November 21, 1998 issue of "My Weekly," a British magazine.
  • Most Humbling: The 'Badlands,' a massive dinosaur burial ground near his parents ranch. "We as a species [compared to dinosaurs] are just a little blip in comparsion."
  • Proudest: Winning awards for Due South.
  • Most Vulnerable: Considers that be an on-going experience, but cited opening night of his first play Dead of Winter, which he considered to be "nerve-wracking."
  • Most Posh: Flying back on a Challenger jet (loaded with shrimp and champagne) after being at the New Orleans' NATPE convention.
  • Most Exciting: Watching his Due South co-star Callum Keith Rennie nearly drown in a pool while filming the episode "Mountie on the Bounty." His foot got tangled in a rope, and Paul had to cut him free.
  • Most Ambitious: Making the CD "Two Houses" with friend David Keeley.
  • Most Awe-Inspiring: Seeing a 10-story iceberg near northern Newfoundland.
  • Most Extravagent: Buying guitars. However, he doesn't buy them often.
  • Most Glamorous: When he met the Queen when Canada House was re-opened.
  • Most Life-Changing: His wedding to Martha Burns.
  • Most Precious: When his children were born.
  • Scariest: When he was around twenty-five, he got lost in the Rockies with a girlfriend. They had to follow a stream back through an area where some people had been mauled by bears just two days previously.
  • Funniest: When he was around fourteen, he asked Mary Witherspoon to the high school prom. However, he went to the wrong house and gave the corsage to the wrong girl, and by the time he got to Mary, he was out of luck.
  • Saddest: When his grandfather died.
  • Happiest Memory: Recently, being on a fishing vessel in Newfoundland that caught 250,000 pounds of fish. He cited that it was a gorgeous day and to watch professionals at work, and to help them, was exciting.

• Other key moments in his life.
  These were culled from the March 14, 1999 Edmonton Express:
  • Last movie he saw which he totally enjoyed?: Shakespeare in Love
  • First (record) album he ever owned: Black Sabbath
  • Last book he read: Blindness by Jose Saramago.
  • Pet peeve: Getting parking tickets.
  • His idea of a perfect Sunday: Lately, it has been skating (with his family) and coming back to enjoy a cappuccino and read the New York Times
  • Biggest regret?: That he didn't go to medical school.
  • Favorite junk food?: MacDonald's
  • His plans for New Year's Eve, 1999: Perhaps go to Bequia, an island in the Grenadines.
  • What item can he not live without?: His laptop PC.
  • What are his hobbies?: He doesn't have time for hobbies.
  • Favorite piece of clothing: An old duster (coat) that he wears in the winter.
  • What would he change about himself?: He's quit smoking.
  • Whom does he admire?: Shakespeare.
  • His greatest extravagence?: Guitars.
  • What would he like to be reincarnated as?: An astronaut.
  • Any favorite quotes?: None.
  • What do fans first say to him?: "Where's your dog"? (as in Diefenbaker)
  • Favorite memory from Edmonton?: Skating on creeks.
  • Will he remain in Canada to work?: "If I can get around going down there, sure I'll stay. I'm a Canadian."

• Does Paul have an official fan club?
  Not any more. There was one formed in mid-1998 but has since shut down.

• Does Paul have any web sites devoted to him?
  Yes! Many fan Due South sites include information on Paul and there are several that are devoted exclusively to his talents. To access the most current list, please check out the Due South Internet Site page.

• Where can I write to Paul? Can I request an autographed photo?
  You can write to Paul care of
  Paul Gross
  Whizbang Films, Inc.
  53 Ontario Street, 1st Floor
  Toronto, ON M5A 2V1
  Canada

• How long did Paul think Due South would last?
  Paul honestly didn't think it would last, perhaps three or four episodes at the most. However, he thought it "was the best thing I'd read out of dozens of scripts. Paul Haggis's writing was so good, so clever. He puts a really weird spin on things. (TV Week, 4-10 March 1995)

• What are Paul's favorite Due South episodes?
  We haven't heard anything about his choices for seasons 3/4, but he mentioned "Gift of the Wheelman" and "All the Queen's Horses" as two of his favorites. [1995]

• How many hours a day did Paul work while on Due South?
  While acting, he worked 14-16 hour days, but as actor/writer/executive producer in the final season, he worked up to 18 hours a day. Mind you, it isn't constant non-stop work. Actors frequently must spend a great deal of time waiting while the crew sets up.

• How much did Paul make working on Due South?
  Actor salaries are usually not divulged until they hit the strastophere (such as Tom Cruise), and we don't know quite what he made while working for CBS, but it was estimated he made $1.5 million Canadian, for both acting and executive producing, in the final season of the series. (Starweek, 30 August 1997) or $2 million per year (Globe and Mail, 99 September 1998) or $2-3 million per season (13 episode season) (TV Guide (Canadian) 14-20 March 1998). Whatever the amount, it is in the millions...

• Did he do his own stunts in Due South?
  Yes, but within reason. He dangled from a harness on the side of a building in the episode "Easy Money," and executed one of his own jumps in "Odds" (judicious editing shows where the stunt was cut), as well as other not-very-life-threatening stunts. Both he and Callum Keith Rennie dangled from harnesses near a dock for a scene from "Mountie on the Bounty." According to one article, he nearly fell off a moving train (most likely "All the Queen's Horses"). Paul liked doing his own stunts because he thought it looked better and saved time; however, dangerous stunts were left to his stunt double and stunt coordinator, Ken Quinn, one of the best in the business, and several other stuntmen.

• Has he injured himself on the series?
  Not that we know of, except for some bruises and a sprained shoulder. However, he did injure himself off-set after Due South. When he got a case of the hiccups, he thumped his chest so hard he broke some ribs. (May 1998) He also bopped himself with a yo-yo on a British talk show. Only a bruise or two and injured pride resulted.

• Does he worry about future roles since playing a Mountie?
  "I don't worry about being typecast as Fraser. I've played baddies before and I look forward to being a bad guy again." (Sunday Mirror, 24 May 1998)

• On CBS's involvement with the series.
  CBS and CTV initially produced the series, with foreign funders making the final third and fourth seasons a reality; however, Paul said "Due South is doing well internationally because of the U.S. involvement initially. We would never have been able to make this show domestically." (Calgary Herald, 11 November 1997)

• What did Paul think made Due South and its relation to Canada?
  Paul wryly said: "Oh, I think it’s just a really great piece of deception. We put out the view that all Canadians are essentially honourable and truthful and honest and capable and heroic and trustworthy. Which isn’t true, but it lets us sneak up on people." (Vue, 4-10 March 1999)

• What does Paul think of Due South a success?
  Paul's been cited in the press several times as not knowing why the show 'clicked' and became a series. He was sure the show would expire in three or four episodes, and then he'd move on to a new project. However, since working as the executive producer, he had this to say: "The writing is 75 percent of Due South. It gives us the storyline and the situations, But the stuff that fills it up falls to us [the actors] when we're in front of the camera. Of course, sometimes we really stink." (TV Times [UK], 10-16 August 1996)

• On continuing to play Fraser in Due South (1996).
  "Once you know the character as well as anybody does after a year of playing it, there's not a lot that can challenge you on a day-to-day basis." (Calgary Herald, 6 September 1996)

• On Due South's end(s).
  Cancellation after 2nd season: "I'm kind of ambivalent. I think it deserved to go another season but it's a really cut-throat business and I won't miss the hours." (Calgary Sun, 4 September 1996) "From a certain standpoint I was thrilled to hang up the suit. All things come to an end. You just sort of have to know when you're done." (Ottaway Today, 12 March 1999)

• What did Paul think of Callum Keith Rennie?
  "Callum is really fun," says Gross. "It's a different relationship, but I think the dynamic remains intact. It's still city cop/Mountie, but he's just kind of crazy. I have the feeling that the core audience will return to (the show) and the shift of the dynamic with Callum will probably bring in additional viewers. He's a very sexy guy, an intriguing presence." (Edmonton Journal, 14 September 1997)

  He also knew the difficulty he faced in replacing David Marciano, who was very popular with the fans. "You can't replace David but Callum is completely insane - he's fantastic." (Edmonton Sun TV Magazine, 28 September 1997)

• On producing the third season of Due South.
  "It has always appealed to Europeans, though I can't quite imagine what it will be like to produce a show that is financed by the BBC along with the French and the Germans." ... "The budgets are unlikely to be as crazy as they were in the first year we made the show. But I would like to take off on location to the mountains in North America and bring Benton to London. He would look good outside Buckingham Palace with the horse guards." ... "This is my first real try as a producer and I may decide that I never want to do TV again - or play a Mountie. On the other hand who could resist the uniform..." (The Daily Mirror [UK], 18 January 1997)

• On being executive producer of Due South.
  Taking on the additional responsiblity of Executive Producer, on top of acting, is akin to "firing an arrow into your forehead." (Ultimate TV Web Site, 20 September 1997)

• On David Marciano not returning to Due South.
  In one 'Dreamwatch' interview, Paul said that it was apparent at NATPE in New Orleans that David and Alliance were not going to come to terms. He also said: "I'm not sure that David ever really wanted to return. It was really a monetary issue more than anything else, but I know his wife wasn't particularly happy up here. There were a lot of pressures, and he's not from [Canada]. It was also a long haul; 26 episodes is four longer than the standard American run." (Edmonton Journal, 14 September 1997)

• His take on Fraser.
  "I don't think there's anyone even remotely like [Fraser] in Canada," says the actor from the show's Toronto set. "I used to be a really mean, cynical misanthrope, and I was a criminal," he deadpans. "But now that I'm playing this part, I love everybody." (Entertainment Weekly, 25 November 1994)

  "He'd [Fraser] be a psychopath if he ever let the reins loose," Paul says laughing. "In fact, we thought about that, but we kind of discovered that this is the way he is. It's not that he's holding things in, but he's very much a northern Zen, Canadian Buddha type of guy." (Unknown Australia magazine, 1995)

  "Playing Fraser is like visiting a therapist. He exposes all the flaws in my character and encourages me to correct them, which is actually kind of irritating." (Toronto Life, April 1995)

• Will Due South be back?
  He said in regards to the third season ending: "I don't know, but I need some time off. I've been doing it quite a long time and I'm not sure I want to work as hard as I did this last year. Shows have a life expectancy - like boxers - they need to know when to get out of the ring." (Uncut Magazine, July 1998)

  "I was really getting burnt out. By the 22nd episode we were shooting, I was thinking 'Oh Lord, this has got to end.'" (Calgary Sun, 4 June 1998) In mid-March 1999, Paul Gross confirmed in several interviews that Due South is now over. There remains the speculation that made-for-TV movies could happen, but nothing is concrete. Paul is now concentrating on writing and producing projects.

On how he views his career.
He refers to his many careers as "hobbies," and explains away his multiple talents [playwright/actor/musician]. "I have a really short attention span," says Gross. (Calgary Herald, 24 November 1989)

How he starts to write a project.
Amusingly, Paul was working as a waiter when he wrote award-winning play, The Deer and the Antelope Play, "Nobody ever came in, so I started doodling on a napkin, and it eventually became a play." (Calgary Herald, 18 March 1988)

On the movie Cold Comfort.
"It's based on what I think is a hilarious premise. My character, a traveling salesman, is pulled from a ditch by this loony (Maury Chaykin), who takes him home as a present for his daughter (Margaret Langrick). It's like the traveling salesman joke gone wrong. It's very, very black." (Flare Magazine, November 1989)

On his play The Dead of Winter.
"I hate Christmas," Gross says. "I wanted to create a situation where each member of the family finally gets to say what they've always wanted to say, to get at the underbelly of this family's life. So the play works like an elastic band, it stretches way out - and I know the danger of losing people along the way - and then pops back. The whole evening is subtext." (The Globe and Mail, 19 October 1982)

On the skies in Alberta.
The Alberta sky is "overwhelming. Standing under it is like being in the middle of a record, with the whole world spinning around. You can see forever." (The Globe and Mail, 19 October 1982)

On his fascination with father-son themes.
"I get along with my father. He was not military at all. I think it puzzles him. He recently read the beginning of the heart-surgeon play and he grumbled, this is another one of these goddamn father/son plays. Margaret Atwood once said that she writes about messy families to over-compensate for her remarkably happy childhood. Maybe I do the same. My mother studied art history and has always encouraged me. In fact, we're collaborating on the screenplays about cowboys." (The Globe & Mail, 19 October 1982) Paul Gross also commented in the January 1984 issue of Stage Magazine that "My dad was away a lot. I think it is the quality of time you spend with your family and not the amount of time that is important."

On acting.
"I'm not sure if acting is a fit occupation for an adult." (Entertainment Weekly, 25 November 1994)

On Aspen Extreme.
This Disney-produced movie was Paul's first experience in Hollywood and its politics. It was apparently an unpleasant experience, as his response to a query on it was "F***, f***, f***." (Elm Street, October 1997)

On how much fan mail he gets.
"For every fan letter I get, the dog gets ten." (Radio Times, 1995)

His ambition in life?
"My ambition is to one day be driving a truck out on my parents' ranch and hear one of my songs on the radio. My life could be complete." (Radio Times, 1995)

On 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Perhaps prophetically, considering the dreadful reviews and ratings, Paul said before its release on CBS-TV, "I'm not so sure I should have done the (movie) in England. When you go at it that long and that intensively, it becomes more of a chore than it is fun to do." (Calgary Herald, 6 September 1996)

On hosting the Canadian Country Music Awards.
"I was shameless, wasn't I?" laughs Gross. [In reference to his hawking his own CD at the previous year's awards show.] "It's going to be even worse this year - I'm going to sing a song... I think." (Calgary Sun, 6 September 1977)

On working with David Marciano.
"It was really peculiar when we came back to start working on the second season," recalls the actor. "It was as if we hadn't taken any time off. Right away we were back into the same groove and it was fun. It's nice to get to work with someone for that long a period - it's almost like a marriage. I spent more time with him than I did with my own family. I'm sure there were times when David wanted to kill me and there were times I when I wanted to throw him off a bridge," laughs Paul. (ETV - Emergency Television [UK], February 1997)

On how he spent his time as a youth.
"I suppose I was a bit of a juvenile deliquent," he mumbles. "I did the usual stupid things - keying cars and stuff like that. Oh yeah, I got into trouble alright." (TV Times [UK], 3-9 August 1996)

On XXX's and OOO's.
When asked why the movie never became a TV series as it was intended, Paul said "It was too much of a soap opera and not enough of what's really interesting about the music business. The final product didn't really have anything to do with Nashville." (Tennessean, 23 August 1998)

On what he thinks of the 1970's era, which was portrayed in "Tales of the City."
"It was the most hideous period of fashion in the 20th century." (Calgary Sun, 17 April 1994)

On parenting.
"When Martha, my wife, and I were expecting our first child, Hannah, we were kind of stunned at the sheer tonnage of unsolicited advice that came our way regarding the rewards and responsibilities of parenting. If there was a common thread in everything our friends were saying, it was no matter what you give, you're going to get it back threefold." (CBC Parenting Poll, April 1999)

Aspen Extreme.
"Alas, Paul Gross, who plays "T.J.," is too boringly noble for the role. He has white teeth, to begin with, and you show me a writer with white teeth and I'll show you someone who also works in advertising! But he's also got one of those square, handsome, dreary faces that would make him hot in bars but makes him drearier than doughnuts in the rain on the screen. That style of screen beauty thankfully disappeared a decade or so ago." (The Sun [Baltimore, MD], 25 January 1993)

Aspen Extreme.
"Paul Gross, a nominal Tom Cruise look-alike, plays T.J. Burke, a guy who leaves Michigan to become an ultra-glamorous ski pro in Aspen." (Daily News [Los Angeles, CA], 23 January 1993)

Chasing Rainbows.
"Riley portrays the alcoholic Chris with subtly shaded understatement. And Gross makes the virile Jake seem rakish and principled at the same time." (Maclean's, 7 March 1988)

Chasing Rainbows.
"Fortunately, most of the performances in the show are solid. Paul Gross, reminiscent of Jack Nicholson when he bares his teeth or cocks his head, and Michael Riley, who makes Chris's vulnerable personality tangible, have staked down their roles and climbed into them." (Cinema Canada, April 1988)

Chasing Rainbows.
"Lead characters are relative tv newcomes. Paul Gross is a handsome poor guy, but given little characterization, except rigorously decent. Michael Riley is a believeable wishy-washy rich kid in formal clothes. Both do well." (Variety, 11 May 1988)

Dead of Winter.
"This kid is pretty hot stuff." Gordon Gordey, of Alberta Culture. (Calgary Herald, 15 April 1982)

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme.
"One thing in the production does have freshness and authority, however, and that is Paul Gross' remarkable performance as Kenneth Pyper. This is a young aristocratic artist who senses the slaughterhouse absurdity of the upcoming battle of the Somme. His peculiar gallows humor and flaunting of effeminacy provoke his fellow soldiers, but nobody can get through the smoke and mirrors with which he surrounds his essential self. He alone goes any distance to escaping the tribalism of Irish culture, but it finally ensnares him." (The Globe and Mail, 20 February 1988)

Platinum.
"Writer Leopold St-Pierre has prepared the series' bible. Paul Ryashcher is one of a half-dozen writers soon to be hired, and talks are well underway with actor Paul Gross (Due South) for the series' leading role. Gross' popularity in Europe is just icing on the cake." [Paul Gross did not take the lead in this television movie.] (Playback, 7 October 1996)

Romeo and Juliet.
A local magazine had this to say about a young Paul Gross: "Gawky and passionate, Gross performs Tarzan-like acrobatics in the balcony scenes while never losing his emotional balance." (Maclean's, 5 August 1985)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
"As the fiery Ned, Gross comes close to sizzling on screen. But the scenes are soap opera-style snippits, too brief to really reveal much of anything about the characters, especially romantic interest." (Canoe web site, 21 March 1997)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
"Joe Wisenfield's tedious script tells of Nemo's lust for the professor's daughter, his spiteful relationship with a free-spirited harpoonist (Paul Gross of Due South, who supplies the film with its requisite beefcake quotient), and his hot-'n'-cold dialogue with the prof himself." (Mr. Showbiz web site, March 1997)

Of his playwright skills.
"The theatre has a long tradition of playwrights who are equally well known for their acting. Moliere was perhaps most successful in dividing his genius between his two chosen professions, but a contemporary example such as American Sam Shepard, who has garnered a Pulitzer Prize for writing an Academy Award nomination for acting, demonstrates a similar versatility today. Perhaps one of the most promising additions to this tradition is the 26-year-old Canadian playwright, Paul Gross." (Canadian Author Bookman, Fall 1986)

Martha Burns speaks on her husband.
"He is a very fast typist." (Elm Street, October 1997)

David Keeley on his friend and singing partner.
"Paul is a kid who refuses to grow up, and everything and everybody is a new experience. Wonder is what he always has in his eyes and in his work, and he never shuts down that wonder for life and how life works and how it goes around." (Elm Street, October 1997)

Wendy Crewson on her time with Paul in 'Getting Married in Buffalo Jump'.
"I felt very much on the same wavelength [as Gross]. He's a terrific actor and fun to be with." (TV Guide [Canada], 3 November 1990)